The Constant
by MelodicEnigma
Summary: S7-8. With Debra, Dexter's good constant, being exposed to the truth of Dexter's "dark passenger", he now has his double life and sister's trust hanging by a thread. Not to mention, dealing with his most formidable foe, the "Phantom Killer". And why does Debra keep blushing when near him? Sigh. Just another mystery to solve.
1. You Shouldn't Be Here

_**A/N:**_ _**So, here we go, Dexter. Its honestly one of the best shows I've ever seen. Despite a lot of fan disappointment with Season 8, I liked the way it was handled. This is mainly b/c of the emphasis of Dex/Deb's relationship for Seasons 6-8, and I was satisfied with how they did it even though it wasn't completely how I wanted it (romance-wise anyway). Thus, here we are. I'm starting this story from Season 7. This is my version of Dex/Deb's developing relationship (plus some changes to the plot, including another major enemy). Hope you all enjoy!**_

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Dexter. This is a work of fan fiction.

* * *

 **The Constant**

 **Chapter 1**

 **You Shouldn't Be Here**

"Oh God."

Time itself seemed to slow down. Dexter Morgan stood in the light of the church like a deer in headlights, well, if that deer was clenching a large knife and wearing an apron. His breathe hitched and suddenly the sweat on his forehead became cold.

" _N-no….no...no! Why? Why is she here?!"_ Dexter's thoughts screamed inside of him, his face representing the fear and confusion that bubbles within.

Debra Morgan looked no different, but the fear was more than evident on her judging by the amount her body shook. Dexter, her foster brother, her constant, her "good place", is standing there with a knife in hand and a guilty expression after stabbing a person, a person mind you that is strapped to a table with…..is that plastic wrap?

Debra started to take a step back, but with that movement did she suddenly remember who she was. Quickly unholstering her firearm, she hastily stepped towards her brother, each step becoming more and more heavy as she pointed her pistol at him.

"Don't move!" Debra's voice almost broke, but her strong grip on the gun helped her keep her resolve.

Dexter's heart faltered more and more the closer she got. The last thing he wanted was to tussle with his sister, and the very thought of even hurting her ached his heart. Dropping the knife and gloves, Dexter raised both of his hands in the air. This just couldn't be happening.

Dexter closed his eyes tensely as if he were in pain. "Deb, please, I can-"

"Dex...Dexter what the fuck!? What're you doing? And...who's on the table?" Debra already felt out of breathe just with this.

Dexter slowly glanced at the body. "It's Travis Marshall Deb…."

Debra only lowered her gun an inch before pointing its barrel right back at Dexter. "Why?...How Dex? How the FUCK did this happen?!"

Dexter looks back to her, his eyes frantically drowning in hers. Everything said, every move made, it was all so critical in this moment. This wasn't like trying to trick someone to close in for a kill. This was Debra, his foster sister, his constant, the one person he never wanted to find out about his 'dark passenger'. He had to be absolutely careful here for her, no, for both of their sakes.

Dexter smashed his hands against his forehead in a panic, his breathing becoming erratic as he shook his head in agony.

"Oh God...oh God...no no no…what have I..."

"Dex...h-hey Dex, what happened?" Seeing this, Debra's voice softened, almost like a whisper.

Dexter inwardly smiled. Perfect. Yet, this definitely wasn't enough to diffuse the situation. But first….

"Deb please...the gun, I can't…."

Debra seemed hesitant at first, but soon her pistol found its way back into the holster. Dexter nodded his head and started to slowly move towards her.

"He came at me Deb, I had no choice. I didn't want to but, he just wouldn't listen to reason. There was nothing else I could do. I just came here looking for anything that might lead us to him, and he got the jump on me. There was nothing...nothing else I could do."

"Jesus Dex…" Debra finally let out the breath she was holding, but for every step Dexter took towards her, she moved back in response. Those steps seemed even heavier than when she had her gun out at him.

" _This has to be true, it's Dex for fuck's sake! My brother, the man that I love….Argh, fuck me..."_

Dexter could see Debra stuck within her own thoughts. In fear of it going south, he stopped his advance towards her and slowly sat down on the nearest bench.

"I know Deb, it's unexpected, but you know as much as I do that he needed to be put down regardless. It was him or me."

Debra stopped her thoughts and glanced up at him. "And the plastic wrap? What the fuck is that about? And the knives-"

"They were all his Deb, I just...i'm the blood guy remember? I know how evidence can be left easily, so-"

"So you just strap him to a table and stab him?! Dexter you should've just called the cops! You should've….you should've called me…" Debra started to sink down on the floor next to a bench, her eyes watering. This was so new to her. How could all of this be happening?

Dexter just looked at her again and shook his head solemnly. Even though Debra wasn't arresting, or even worse killing, him at the moment, Dexter could never take seeing her distraught. His heart twisted and turned, which to him was almost amusing considering he didn't have much of one. The lies he constantly told didn't help, but, this was necessary for both of their survival.

"It was just so quick," Dexter rubbed some of the sweat off his forehead and turned back towards the body, "It was all that I could do at the time. I'm not exactly use to killing someone".

As Dexter took to looking back to the body of Travis, Debra started to take out her phone, but she only got to one button before Dexter turned back towards her with urgent eyes.

"What're you doing?! You can't call the cops!"

Debra jumped from his rise in volume and stood up quickly. Lucky for Dexter she didn't pull out her gun again, but the fear on her face wasn't enlightening to him. She clenched her phone even tighter.

"But Dex, you just killed someone, we have to-"

"How does this look to you Deb?"

Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and her body shook even more. "Fucking weird Dex, this looks fucking crazy!"

Dexter slowly stood up as well, and when she started to back up again, he held his hands out peacefully.

"Then imagine how anyone else would feel. This will just be bad press for both of us Deb, or even worse." He started to move slowly towards her.

Debra would've noticed initially, but her thoughts were all over the place again.

" _Fuck me, he's right. But that still doesn't explain why he set up like this. My brother, I can't let him go to prison, or worse. Fuck...fuck! What should I-"_

Her thoughts were stopped once again as Dexter slowly placed his hand onto hers, his hand also covering the phone. They both held in a breath, Debra because of the proximity, and Dexter, well, mainly because he was expecting a swift punch or scream of panic.

Yet, Debra just stared at him with glossy eyes. Dexter couldn't tell if she was immobilized by fear or not, but, he locked his eyes with hers regardless. Debra searched his for anything and everything. Her face, which was once in fear, was now relaxing under his touch. But her eyes still held the confusion, and it almost seemed like something else was confusing her.

Before he could inquire, Debra sighed heavily and took her hand away from his, proceeding to put her phone back into her pocket. "Okay, no one else...are you alright Dex?"

Dexter just exhaled through his nose and took a seat down on a bench once again.

"Physically? Yes. Emotionally?..."

"I'm right there with you bro...so, what happens now?" Debra sat back down on the ground, leaning against the benches. She wiped away some of the tears and sniffled a bit.

Honestly, this was the most tiresome night Dexter has had since Rita's death. It feels like he's still waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but with the tension between them calming, maybe there was still hope to resolve this.

"Well, i'll just have to cover this up. This night could just never have happened. I'll take the body out and-"

"No! Fuck Dex, we can't do that! It's already bad enough that you….just no, no moving the body."

Dexter blinked. Did she say we?

"Look, Deb-"

"No Dexter. We're not moving the fucking body."

Debra lost all confusion in her eyes and stared him down like the lieutenant she was, but now Dexter was the one that looked at a most he could do was just sigh.

"Okay, fine. But, anything that happens here, i'm doing it myself. There's no reason for you to get involved." Dexter was firm with these words, hoping to reach her.

But Debra just looked at him with more strictness. "Fuck you. I'm already involved in this, and i'm not letting you deal with this alone. But we have to do this right."

Dexter looked towards the body once again, his eyes searching for some answer. Fine, if Debra wanted to be involved somehow, he'd have to find an alternative that requires her to do less. Then it hit him, and he tried not to look too proud as his eyes landed back onto Debra.

"We'll burn all of this then."

"W-What?.." Debra looked away from him, losing some of her courage to level with him.

"We make this look like a suicide. We can even have his sword stabbed through him. Travis has seen his eclipse, so, this will be the last thing he could give to his God."

Debra slowly looked back at him, her thoughts collecting again. "Yeah, I guess…"

"It can work, with the fire, someone will see it and notify the police. They'll find him here, and naturally there won't be anything connecting us."

He didn't want to be arrested or killed by his sister, but most importantly, he wanted to keep her safe. His words may be lies, but his eyes told the truth. They told how much he needed for her to agree with this.

"It'll be just another crazy act by the Doomsday Killer Deb."

Debra just stared at him. Crazy acts are strapping people to tables and stabbing them with no mercy, and that wasn't even done by the serial killer. But, this was her brother, and he may have been right.

"Okay Dex, it's a plan." She sighs while pushing some hair away from her face. "But, you stay here. I'll get the gasoline we'll need to-"

"What? No Deb, you don't have to do that."

"Do you want me to help you or not?"

That just seemed like a trick question to him, but Dexter couldn't help it.

"Well, if you're asking..."

"Fuck you. And stay here until I come back shithead. I mean it Dexter."

"I know what I'm doing Deb."

"Bullshit."

Debra's gaze seemed to linger on him more as she slowly stood up. Dexter eventually looked away from her, almost seeming to pout, but she just kept looking at him. When his eyes connected back with hers, they stayed like that for a good while until Debra eventually broke off and walked away, leaving Dexter to himself.

Finally in isolation, Dexter let out a breath he felt like he was holding this entire time. His heart raced and the stress of the situation all hit him like a knife in the chest. He felt a small amount of envy for Travis, wishing he was on that table instead. This just couldn't be happening.

He just sighed heavily, leaning the back of his head onto the bench and staring absentmindedly at the body of Travis Marshall.

"Jesus Debra…."

"What have you done Dexter?"

Knowing that voice all too well, Dexter slowly looks over to his left to see a very disappointed Harry Morgan staring him down. For a ghost of Dexter's mind, he sure always showed up when he needed someone to talk to. Yet, this conversation was one Dexter has been preventing for a long time, so Dexter just shook his head and turned away from him.

"I was just doing what YOU taught me to do. She walked in on me taking care of the trash."

Harry sighed. "You have no one to blame but yourself Dex. Now your sister is involved in your darkness, and you're lucky she cares enough to not have arrested you or even worse."

But Dexter wasn't paying attention. "I should've just killed him when I had the chance, before-"

"Dexter! There is no turning back from this, you can only move forward without making this worse son. Do it for Deb."

This made Dexter turn his somber eyes back onto his father. For a ghost he sure was loud, but he was also right. This may have been the first thing he never wanted to happen, but now he has to deal with it before it gets worse. This isn't for himself, this is completely for Debra now. He has to make sure to keep her further from the truth no matter what.

He launches up from his seat in haste towards Travis's body. In a swift motion he rips away the plastic wrap all over the body. His sense of urgency was so present that he didn't notice the slide of blood drop down along with everything else.

Dexter places his gloves back on and just stares at Travis's body. As much as he wants to push this all on Travis, this is his own fault. He shakes his head to push away the guilty thoughts and picks up Travis's ancient sword.

"Don't worry Deb, I will fix all of this."

With precision and resolve, Dexter stabs the sword into Travis's body. He squeezed the handle tight, his frustration still lingering after stabbing Travis. He wants this to go away, no, he NEEDS this to go away for Debra. Dexter can't even stand the thought of his sister not even being able to look at him anymore.

If he could sincerely pray, he could only do it to hope that this will all be over soon enough.

* * *

Debra stood at the gas station, filling up the last gas container that is needed for this operation...or crime or….she really didn't know what all this was. To her, it was just all wrong. She couldn't even fill up the gas without looking suspicious and guilty.

" _C'mon Debra, get a fucking grip! It's not like I'M the one who killed Travis! It was….it was Dexter, my brother, the lab geek who I didn't even think could remotely kill…."_

She sighed as she stopped the gas before it could overflow from the container. If she wanted to stop looking so weird out here, she'd probably have to stop thinking so much. But of course, she still had plenty to say. Once she loaded the gas into the car and headed back towards the church, she let her thoughts out furiously since no one could hear.

"Fuck! Shit! Shit Fuck! Fuck me in one ear and out the other! God Dex how could this happen, you….you fucker! This just ruins everything! Argh, fuck!"

Panting hard after this outburst, Debra just took to squeezing the steering wheel even tighter. No, maybe this wasn't even what she wanted to say either. She had already prepped herself for a difficult conversation with her brother. Err, her 'brother'. With how she feels, she starts to think if calling him that is off the table now. But, could she even say it? Hell, could she even think it anymore?

"I...I'm in love with you, you idiot...Dex….ah fuck me…"

If she could just survive this, maybe things could be better. But, that image of Dexter standing over the body of Travis, having such a satisfied look on his face after plunging the knife into his chest scared her. It burned within Debra's mind and wouldn't dissolve. She was so distraught that she couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but, she is determined to figure it out regardless.

Once she got back, Debra retreated back into her awkward phase when she saw the sword already sticking out of Travis. Dexter had to hand it to her, she really must have cared for him since he was was still alive. After setting everything up, which almost seemed like for days, Dexter lit the match and gave one last look to the church.

" _This...this will all go away."_

Dexter drops the match and the trail of fire begins its journey to consume the church. The blaze itself was already intense, and Debra took a few steps back. Noticing this, Dexter took this opportunity to put his convincing skills to the test once again.

"It's okay Deb, just go home. I'll stay here and make sure everything-"

"No fuck you Dex. I...I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to be alone either. You're not getting rid of me."

Dexter just sighed once again. Looks like his persuasion skills are far too rusty when it comes to his hot-headed sister. But then again, that always held true, especially when she was right. He needed to know if she would be alright for the night.

"Fine. Let's just get out of here, now."

"Where are we going?"

Dexter was already starting to lead her out of the burning church, but he took one last look at it. He would always remember this place of blazing lies and truths.

"We're going to wait for the call."

* * *

The cool breeze outside on the dock didn't help resolve the lingering tension between the foster siblings. While Debra continued to sneak in nervous looks at Dexter, he pretended to not notice. Though, this was easy for him since he was partially locked within his own thoughts.

" _This is just wrong. I should be burying his body in the sea, not sitting here waiting to be called for a crime scene. I just need to get past this all, for Deb."_

Dexter exhaled before turning towards Debra, but this time she didn't hastily look away. Dexter raised an eyebrow in response to her look, Debra's eyes still searching for some kind of answer within him. Unfortunately, he knew she wouldn't want the answer at all.

Both of their phones going off cuts through the exchange, Debra picking it up swiftly.

"Morgan."

Dexter on the other hand just stares at his phone, reading the text in frustration. This was the moment of truth, or rather, the moment of lies. It was time to see if their late night work will pay off or not.

Soon they found themselves standing within the church with their usual group of homicide partners: Angel Batista, Joey Quinn, Vince Masuka, and Maria LaGuerta. Dexter nods his head as usual to them but gives a sideways glance to the newer team member, Mike Anderson, who was giving a curious look over to Debra.

"Lieutenant Morgan, you feeling well this morning?"

Everyone looks over to Debra, her face looking flushed and she was deeply staring over at Dexter. It was only until he looked back at her did she realize that she was the star of the show at the moment.

"Uhh yea, i'm fine. Masuka what do we have here?"

Masuka just blinked before starting to rave on about the logistics of how the fire started. Everyone else became attentive, well, as attentive as they could be when Masuka usually started to become chatty, but the two siblings were in their own world.

Debra continued to look at Dexter, her eyes speaking volumes on how nervous she was about all of this. Dexter just softly exhaled and nodded his head towards Masuka. They wouldn't be able to get through this if both of them started acting weirder than normal.

"What do you think about this Dexter?" Masuka raised his brow at Dexter's lost look.

Now everyone's eyes were on Dexter, and he took one last glance at Debra before he made his way towards the body of Travis.

"It appears that Travis doused himself with gasoline, set himself on this table, and he just, stabbed himself in the chest with the sword. With the fire, this was one last sacrifice to make for his 'God'."

Everyone seemed to be within their own thoughts from this, but Dexter just shrugged it off.

"Based on where it is, he died instantly."

"Well that's a shame isn't it?"

Quinn just crossed his arms and stared hard at the body. He must have spoken what everyone else was feeling because the air seemed to become less tense afterwards. Angel just sighed before looking over to Debra.

"Cheer up Lieutenant, this is a win for you."

Debra just nodded her head before her eyes traveled back towards her brother.

"It would have been better to catch him alive."

Everyone just gave grunts or mixed responses, but Dexter just looked away from his sister. This wasn't going to be easy to move on from. But it seems like the worst is over, that is, until his heart almost stops in its tracks.

" _Plastic wrap…"_

Dexter quickly looks back over to Debra, who was still staring at him thankfully, and he nods his head towards the body of Travis. She blinks at first not getting his point, but her heart too almost plummets as she sees a bit of small plastic stuck to the foot of Travis's burned body. Debra had to take a second to make sure she wouldn't sound panicked when speaking.

"M-masuka," Shit. Debra clears her throat, "Masuka. Hey, would you really be able to kill yourself with that sword?"

As Masuka happily goes on a tirade of explanations, Dexter swiftly moves over to the body and retrieves the plastic. If there was another thing that Masuka was good for other than lab skills, it was capturing people's attention with his silly conversations and banter.

It was stopped short as Captain LaGuerta walked up with a smile on her face. If Debra wasn't excited about all of this, LaGuerta sure was. This was just another win for her department that she couldn't afford to lose.

"Well done Lieutenant Morgan, this is a victory for us. The press is waiting for you outside."

Debra blinked before shifting on her feet awkwardly. Before she could even say anything, LaGuerta just held up a hand.

"I know, I usually do this. But, this is an important victory for you, and for this, you need to be the hero this time Lieutenant." She gave another soft smile to Debra. "Go get them Debra."

Debra stood there for a second before looking over to Dexter, as if she was pleading for him to come with her. Everyone could tell she was nervous, and as usual, the first person she looked to was her brother. Too bad they didn't know the full reason.

Dexter knew it was hard for her to have to lie. He was so use to it by then that it was hard for him to remember that Debra is far off from being just like him. And honestly, he was thankful for that. Being covered in dark lies didn't suit his sister after all.

He nods his head towards Debra as he stepped off where Travis laid and made his way towards her. Angel places a hand on Debra's shoulder, his soft smile reaching his eyes. Being an older brother himself, he knew when someone needed a boost.

"We'll all be right behind you Debra. C'mon guys, lets go."

Everyone started to make their way out, Dexter standing to the right of Debra and Masuka standing to the left with what seemed like a devilish grin.

"Don't worry Lieutenant, just make sure they get your good side. And not just your ass I mean."

Debra gave a firm push and her patented "Fuck you" to a snickering Masuka before proceeding to walk towards the press hungry leeches. As much as Dexter was annoyed with that comment about his sister, he inwardly smiled at her response. Whatever could make her return to 'normal', the better for him and her. He began to catch up to her as he could see her looking around for him before the press started to hound her about the whole ordeal.

Little did they know that LaGuerta was distracted by her findings. She stares confusingly at a broken slide that has blood within it. Memories of Sergeant Doakes flashed before her eyes, as his conviction of the Bay Harbor Butcher still haunts her. But, this can't be here because that very same man who was accused of murder was dead. So how…

She shook her head and called over one of the lesser forensic team members to come and bag it. She didn't know how this found its way over here, but she wouldn't waste a second in figuring out how.

* * *

Dexter tiredly walks up the stairs to his apartment. He knew not even sleep would be able to give him the peace he needed, but it was definitely a good start. He could only hope it would be enough for Debra as well. He just needed to get this done, and even now, he really just wanted to see his son, Harrison Morgan. There was another screw up he was desperately trying to avoid from happening.

Opening the door to the apartment, he expected to see the smiling face of Harrison, or to even just see Jamie, but instead, there was...Louis Greene? What was Masuka's lab intern poking around his apartment for?

Louis just beamed at Dexter, for which Dexter himself had no idea why, and he just returned the smile with a slight frown. He seemed to always have some kind of admiration for Dexter, but this would only work if Dexter cared for such a thing.

"Louis, what're you doing here?"

"I was just trying not to get in Jamie's way with Harrison." He just casually shrugged.

Dexter wasn't having any of it though as he looked to the position of his laptop.

"And you needed my laptop because?..."

Again, Louis just gave a small smile and shrugged. "I took a look at some sports scores you know. I do enjoy sports just like-"

"Louis I don't give a shit about what you enjoy. Don't ever touch my things ever again. We are not pals, or whatever it is you think we are, got it?"

"..."

Louis remained stunned under Dexter's icy glare, which was typically given to those he was about to slide a cold steel blade into. Dexter usually wouldn't be this aggressive, but now was the time he couldn't handle any more surprises. It's a good thing he expected Jamie to come around the corner.

"Oh Dexter you're home! I was just putting Harrison to bed…."

She started to trail off as she could see the disgruntled look Dexter was giving the uncomfortable Louis.

"What're you doing over here Louis?"

Louis started to shift awkwardly over to Jamie, and he was giving silent 'sorrys' to her as Dexter took a seat in his chair. All he wanted was for them to leave now.

"It's okay Jamie. You must be tired so you can go home now."

Jamie just nodded and started to lead Louis out of the apartment, not without giving Dexter a silent 'sorry' of her own before closing the door. Dexter just sighed, finally being able to feel a little less tense, but, there were still some things to check if he wanted to convince himself to take Louis off of his kill list.

Dexter gets up to lock his door to avoid any more surprises, and quickly heads over to his air conditioner where his blood slide trophies lay at rest. If this showed any type of tampering with, Louis would get a lot more than a mouthful from Jamie.

He took the slides out, opening them and inspecting everything, even carefully running his finger through every single slide. Perfect. He couldn't risk anyone else putting his secret out….except for himself. Suddenly Dexter felt his heart skip a bit, wondering how many more times could that happen today, and he felt around all of his pockets.

"Shit."

The blood slide of Travis Marshall. He must have left it at the church when he was hastily setting up his suicidal execution. Dexter placed his hand on his forehead. If it wasn't for Harrison peacefully sleeping, he would've yelled out in absolute frustration. He took a deep breath and put his trophies back in their place of rest.

"Okay...it must have gotten destroyed in the church. Otherwise I would have found it just like that piece of plastic. But…"

Dexter found himself in the doorway to Harrison's room, seeing him sleeping the night away. This only slightly calmed Dexter, as he still came to realize what all was at stake when it came to his secrets.

"It's all going to be okay Harrison….it's all going to be okay."

Dexter knew that no matter how much he said it, it could very well still go downhill from here. But, he could only hope that they were in the clear. It was the same hope that wished for Debra to be in a better mood. The image of her tear filled eyes resided in his mind, and the warm feeling of her hand still lingered on his own. But more than anything, which helped distract him from the earlier thoughts, the look of fear that his sister had towards him struck him the most.

Sigh.

Dexter almost wishes he lacked the capacity to feel again, but in times like this, he remembers that he's always reserved this ability for Debra. No wonder all of this is so hard. He took another look at Harrison. Ugh, and his son certainly didn't help his non-emotion streak. Either way, he could only hope they would move forward from this for both of them.

* * *

"For the last time, i'm sorry Jamie. I just wanted a glass of water."

Louis sat in his apartment's living room, rubbing his forehead in frustration as his girlfriend continued to give him the riot act.

"It's not my fault he's such a big asshole about me being over there."

Jamie just huffed and continued to prepare for bed as she looked away from her boyfriend. They were definitely not having sex that night.

"That's because you shouldn't have been there Louis. And Dexter is a great guy, you know he probably had a long day."

"Or he's just always a jerk..." Louis spoke softly as he looked off.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Just, i'm sorry alright?"

Jamie shook her head and walked into their bedroom away from him.

"The longer we're together, the more weird you get. Just be careful next time. Night."

She just laid down in bed and didn't spare him another glance. Louis just sighed and went back to his laptop. Well, even if he couldn't make amends with his girlfriend tonight, he'd have to make the most of this with hacking into Dexter's bank account. He figured Dexter wouldn't seem so tough if he had no money left to his name. Either way, Louis smirked in victory.

"This will teach you to degrade my game, AND embarrassing me in front of Jamie…"

* * *

Debra shuffled inside her house, sighing hard as she closed the door behind her.

For her, this was possibly the longest fucking day she has had since Harry's death. And it certainly wasn't getting any better as she watched herself lie on television. Joy.

"Good fucking job Debra. I'm sure this makes the old man very proud..."

Beer at hand and sorrow in her heart, this would seem like a typical night if the sorrow wasn't all about her big brother.

It was one thing to stress about whether she could be in love with him or not, but to hide the fact he illegally murdered a notorious serial killer? She doesn't know whether to put his ass in jail or to kiss him...err, or maybe hug him.

Sigh.

Debra just closed her eyes. What is happening with her? She was all ready, albeit still nervous, with telling Dexter exactly what she's been feeling lately. But, after last night, her image of him has changed dramatically.

She can still feel the warmth of his hand when he touched her at the church, and remembers how she was entranced by his eyes every time he looked into hers. But now, she can also remember the victorious look he had when he stabbed Travis to death. She could've sworn she even saw a slight smile plastered on his face...

Debra shook her head and took a huge swig of her beer. She didn't know how much sleep she'd need to get passed this, but today would be a good start. Right when she started to get up, her phone ringing halted her movements. Hoping it might be Dexter to talk, she hastily got it out of her pocket only to see a name she didn't expect this time of night: Mike Anderson.

"Morgan here." She raised her brow in curiosity. What could Anderson possibly want?

"Lieutenant, you know, I don't remember seeing a car parked at the church when we first got there."

Debra's heart almost skipped a beat, but unlike earlier today with Masuka, it was easier to stray from the truth over the phone.

"I see, what're you suggesting exactly?"

"Why would someone bother to walk all the way to the church?"

Debra just exhaled. This WAS easier.

"Well, I'd assume someone who is about to commit suicide really wouldn't care about a long fucking walk."

Anderson just gave a slight chuckle in response, she could almost visualize him shrugging it off.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I too just wish we could've gotten him alive Lieute-"

Suddenly Anderson stopped, causing Debra to blink in confusion.

"Detective Anderson?"

"Huh? Oh yea, sorry, I'll have to call you back Lieutenant. Have a good night."

"Huh? Anderson?"

But the call had already cut off. Debra raised a curious brow but just took another gulp of her beer. Oh well, she'll see him tomorrow anyway. She had bigger problems to face tonight anyhow, like figuring out how to sleep without thinking of Dexter.

* * *

As much as he found his Lieutenant's harsh language to be amusing, Mike Anderson had another interest at the moment.

He started to pull to the side of the road, concern etched onto his face as he got out of the car. As a cop, he had no qualms helping someone who seemed to be stuck on the road.

"Sir, is everything alright?"

The man fidgeted, jumping slightly from Anderson's booming voice. He seemed nervous, and shook his head rapidly.

"I-it's okay man, e-everything's fine!"

Anderson just laughed it off and shrugged as he came even closer nonchalantly.

"Don't worry man, i'm a cop. What seems to be the problem? A flat?"

"N-no! No, it's fine honestly! I can handle it man."

Anderson raised his brow in curiosity, what did this guy have to be so nervous for? The man stood up quickly as Anderson took one more step towards him. Instinctively, Anderson's hand landed on the hilt of his firearm, but he didn't take it all the way out. The air between them became tense, and the other man slightly reaching behind him didn't help either. He really didn't want help that badly?

Anderson just grunted, this weird experience of ungratefulness being a little too much for his liking. As he just nodded his head and shrugged, he started to turn until his eyes landed onto the cracked open trunk of the man's car. Time almost seemed to slow as he could faintly see the corpse of a woman jammed inside. The man followed Anderson's eyesight, and it only took a second to pass before both men had their pistols out and pointed towards each other.

"Freeze! Put away the gun now or I WILL shoot!" Anderson screamed with fierce authority.

The man, losing all of his nervousness only sighed as his gun pointed in-between the eyes of Detective Anderson.

"I told you I didn't need any help. Now look where we are."

Anderson wasn't having any of this conversation though, and with a family of his own, he wasn't willing to take chances with this guy. The sweat on his forehead ran cold, but the heat of the tension made both of their hearts beat at a fast pace. Anderson however, felt the most in control even now.

"I will not say this again. Put the gun down, and put your hands over your fucking head."

This time his voice was pure venom. What can he say, he's picked up one or two habits from his Lieutenant's sailor mouth.

Before either could make a decisive move, the headlights of another car flashed upon them as it came rolling up at a fast rate, screeching to an abrupt halt right beside them. There was no way in hell neither man was willing to take advantage of that distraction. The man fired off his pistol, but by this time Anderson managed to roll back behind the car, taking shelter right in front of the open trunk. The man just proceeded to snarl in frustration and went towards the front of the car to achieve his own shelter.

This would have been a regular stalemate for the both of them if the brave man who caught them off guard didn't start to leave his vehicle. He calmly closed his doors and made a slight chuckle at the situation before him.

"Well well, isn't it a tad bit late at night for you men to be playing with toys?"

Anderson peeked a look at this newcomer, and even in the darkness of the night could he perceive his distinct features. He had bright green eyes that just seemed to glow from the headlights of Anderson's car. His short-cropped Ivy-league dark blonde hair was neat, and his face was clean shaven. Anderson took note of his build, he seemed lean and muscular judging by the way his black t-shirt fit him, and his size was around 6 ft. Perfect. Probably some snooty Miami resident who didn't know any better and will turn into just another casualty.

Anderson just gave a heavy sigh and started to pat his pockets in hopes of finding his phone to call for backup.

" _Shit."_

Anderson realized he must have placed his phone down inside the car after hanging up on Debra. There wasn't a shred of thought that he might need it helping a civilian with a broken car. Who knew.

The armed man just fired his gun in the air and then pointed it towards the mystery man.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but just leave here and forget you've seen me or this asshole cop! Now!"

Anderson, hearing that first shot go off, started to maneuver to the right side of the car in hopes of catching the criminal off guard. It was like he forgot about him, but at the same time, what was this other man doing? Anderson peeks over the car slightly again to see the other man casually standing there and...is he yawning? Anderson just decided then he's had enough of this night.

"Sir! Either get out of here or call the cops, it's not safe you idiot!"

His authoritative voice startled the armed man once again and he started to move to his right towards the other man unconsciously to get away from Anderson.

Then suddenly, everything happened so fast that Anderson couldn't even comprehend.

The other man swiftly sent a heavy, precise roundhouse kick to the armed man's temple, sending him head first down to the concrete. Before any retaliation could happen, he stomps on the man's wrist that held the pistol, forcing it out of his grip. The once innocent man took to smiling victoriously, and he simply picked up the gun from the groaning criminal.

"Don't worry officer, it's safe now."

Anderson slowly peered out from the side of the car, his gun pointed straight at the 'innocent' man. With everything that has happened, he wasn't taking anymore chances.

"Okay, good, you took him down. I'm Detective Anderson from Miami Homicide, so, just put down the gun. Now."

The green eyed man chuckled slightly. "Relax, I was just saw the fun and-"

When their eyes connected, the smile fell from his face, causing Anderson to raise his brow. The other man just simply stared at Anderson, Anderson shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. It was a strange look that he was receiving after all. He didn't feel threatened in the slightest, but at the same time, it wasn't an approach you'd normally get from someone being near a cop. It was almost, a look of pity?

The other man just sighed and dropped the gun down on the ground. He then proceeded to raise his hands in the air.

"Sorry officer, I just did what had to be done."

Anderson raised a brow, moving closer to this strange man and the criminal that was groaning on the ground, his arm still under the pressure of the daring man's foot.

"Argh! Whatever, just get this lunatic off of me!"

Anderson pointed his gun away from the innocent man and right down at the criminal. He just gave a slight grin to the other man, who didn't seem to be as laid back as before, but Anderson just shrugged it off. Finally things were going his way now.

"I don't know, how about you explain that body in the trunk huh? My Lieutenant down at the office would love to have a chat with you."

Anderson started to reach for his handcuffs and leaned down towards the criminal. A late night victory was a good story to tell his family back home, and this accomplishment was all he could see. So, he had no idea that a bone crushing roundhouse was inches away from his skull.

Anderson, just as the criminal before him, slammed head first into the pavement, his gun flying from his hand. Confusion and pain settled in as he tried to get up from the blow, his eyes shutting tight from the sharp pain in his head. When he finally opened his eyes, all he could see was the barrel of a gun, and his heart dropped harder than he had. The other man just looked at him, a soft smile on his face and that same pity expression tainted on his features.

"It's okay Detective. I'll set your phantom free."

BOOM.

Anderson fell towards the ground, feeling nothing anymore as a bullet hole formed in his skull, and the blood ran away from his corpse. If only Anderson had ran as well.

The criminal remained silent, not sure how to respond or what to think, and he just stared wide-eyed at the once innocent man. The man just looked down at the criminal and shrugged.

"You're lucky, yours doesn't need to be freed yet. I don't care if you have someone in your trunk or not, either way, don't get in my way."

For the criminal, the man's green eyes seemed to penetrate in his soul. He wasn't judging him at all, but he was casting a fear that he's never felt before. He couldn't even move, hell, he didn't want to. He almost wanted to be a ghost, to be a phantom, just so he couldn't be near this man. The throbbing pain he has on his wrist and head doesn't seem to matter anymore.

The other man just scoffs and pulls out a set of white gloves, puts them on, and he pulls a white card from his pocket. After putting on the gloves, he places the card in front of Anderson's dead body, and he even places Anderson's dropped gun back into his holster. He looks at the gun he stole from the criminal and looks back at him, deciding what to do. The criminal almost started to plea, but the man just simply took a cloth from his pocket, wiped down the gun, and then emptied all of its bullets. He tossed the gun at the criminal who was still laying down on the ground, crippled by unprecedented fear. The man simply just shrugs.

"Do as you wish with that."

He stares at his work, smiles, and then starts to walk away. The criminal lets go of his long held breath until the man turned around one last time.

"Ah, by the way, what's your name? And please, please don't lie. I can tell."

His green eyes simply bore into the criminals, and he nodded his head rapidly to relate that he understood completely. He wasn't going to chance this with a fake name or even just his first.

"I-i'm...i'm Viktor Baskov…who are you?"

The man just shrugged and yawned once again.

"You don't need to know. Just don't tell anyone about me, unless you want to be just like the Detective over there." He looked into his eyes once again. "Unless you do want to be set free?"

Viktor shook his head rapidly once again and just laid there, unmoving once again. The other man just nodded his head at Viktor before turning around and walking off once again.

"Good. Oh, and you probably want to clean up anything else, for your sake, but don't touch Anderson or the card. I'll know if you do, Viktor Baskov."

The man hops into his car, and pulls off down the road casually, as if nothing had ever happened here. Viktor starts to rise up, wiping the sweat and blood off his forehead, and lets out a giant breath. He probably even had Anderson's blood on him, and most likely gun residue. But, he could care less about that at the moment.

"What the hell was that…."

He rolls over towards Anderson's body and looks at the card. His face scrunches in confusion as he reads it.

"Free the Phantoms?..."

Viktor decides he has had enough of this night, but he would in no way even touch that card. As he cleaned up his car for prints and whatever else was on the female's body in the trunk, he replayed the situation in his head. The way the guy took him down, the way he also mercilessly murdered the cop, and worst of all, the way his green eyes penetrated him, exposed him, and scared him...it was more than he has ever experienced.

He went to Anderson's car and took off down the road. He wasn't sure who this "Phantom" guy was, but whoever he was…

He silently prayed for anyone who decides to take him on.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _ **Thank you so much for reading! First chapter hype! :D Be sure to review so I can know what you guys think about the story so far.**_

 _ **As you can see we've got a new badass criminal underway. And don't worry, there's more to come on the Dex/Deb ship, but it's a process, as it should be. :) Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**_


	2. Cataclysm of Truths

_**A/N:**_ _**This is a longer chapter, so strap in and enjoy the ride folks :D Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Dexter. This is a work of fan fiction.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Cataclysm of Truths**

"Finally."

Dexter strains to open his eyes, and the blinding light of what seemed to be an overhead lamp pierced him. The brimming light definitely didn't help the pain that he felt throbbing inside his skull. Thinking this is the perfect time for some aspirin, he attempts to get up, only to find that he can't move a single inch.

" _What? What is...plastic wrap?"_

He holds in a breath as he struggles even more to get up. Plastic wrap covers him from his chest and all the way to his ankles. A beat of panic formed within him, and his head began to form cold sweat. The line of plastic on his forehead didn't help things either as he attempted to look around the room as much as he could.

Darkness. All he could see was darkness. The black room seemed to be fit for someone like him, but who on earth would put him here? The only person capable of strapping him down like this was Brian Moser, his serial killer brother, but Dexter made sure to end his killing streak.

"Finally."

Dexter blinks in confusion, moving around as much as he could to attempt to spot the culprit who copied his sacred ritual. As curious as he was, something inside of him burned, as if he knew the truth in the darkness. When he could make out a form protruding from the darkness, his heart immediately dropped.

"Deb….."

Debra stepped within his sight, solemnly looking down at Dexter, a long knife in her hand. Dexter just stared into her eyes, his dark green eyes almost blending in with the darkness of the room instead of the light that was aimed at his face.

"Debra, what is this? Why-"

"Shh...it's okay Dex. It's okay…" Debra spoke with such a soft, intimate voice. "You've always lied to me...but it's okay."

Dexter could only stare, and the knife that she was trailing along his body didn't calm him in the slightest. Debra stopped the knife right in front of Dexter's heart, and then she just looked into his eyes. There was something strange about her expression. Dexter couldn't quite place it, but her brown eyes seized his own.

"Deb….I-"

"Shh...Dex…" Debra smiled once again, and placed her free hand on the side of Dexter's face.

Everything about her was so warm. Her eyes, her voice, and even the hand that gently caressed his face, and he was enamored by it all. Dexter was at a lost, not sure what he was thinking, and why she was even doing this. He didn't have much time to process more as Debra swiftly stabbed him right in the heart. Even the blade was warm.

His last breath escaped him, and his watery eyes from the pain and confusion seemed to be consumed by Debra's deep eye contact. She leaned down slowly, pressing her soft lips against his ear, filling his whole being with a light whisper. Her words faded just as his life did.

"You've destroyed me….…"

Dexter's eyes flashed open and he lurched up gasping for air. He panted heavily, and his heart drummed so fast that he couldn't question whether he had one or not anymore. He took a quick scan of the room. It was just his room, it was just his apartment, but that, that wasn't a dream he's ever had before.

He rubbed his hands on his face and sighed heavily. Looks like sleep wasn't the answer to his new problems after all. He could sit around and decipher his dream all day, but he knows it's all just a result of his stress. Yet, the more he moved on with his morning, the more he found himself thinking about it. He thought about her eyes, her touch, but most of all, her words.

As he buttoned up his shirt for the day, her last words continued to ring through his head. The only thing that distracted him from this was a hard knock on his door.

" _Now what?"_

Dexter goes to the door, his heart slightly dropping from who he sees. He inhales and unlocks the door.

" _Relax, it was just a dream.…"_

He opens the door to reveal his sister, her eyes looking less confused and timid but more drained and contemplative. He closes the door behind her and crosses his arms. Debra avoids his eyes at first, but soon her brown eyes reaches his green ones. They continue like this for a while, putting Dexter more and more on edge as his dream creeps into his thoughts.

"Uhh, Deb-"

"How were you so perfectly prepared to kill Travis?"

Dexter blinked. Oh. He did his best to casually shrug and took an orange from the plate next to him.

"I told you before, they were all his Deb."

Short answer, but Debra just held her gaze at Dexter, even when he started to distractedly peel his orange. She stepped a little closer to him.

"You weren't in your regular work clothes. You had….you had a rubber apron and plastic sleeves. You just put on Travis's accessories too?"

Dexter stopped his peeling and released a heavy sigh. Suddenly his dream wasn't looking too bad.

"Deb…."

"I'm just trying to figure this all out Dex. It's all I've been trying to do."

He could tell, seeing her tired expression was enough when she walked through the door. She must have spent all night thinking in circles around this. Dexter shakes his head slightly, witnessing that the hope he had for this to settle wasn't in effect yet.

"Deb, I told you, I'm the blood guy. I know how evidence can be left. I just, did what had to be done." His voice went slightly softer. "You look stressed, why don't you-"

"Is that why you told me you 'knew what you were doing'?" She took another step towards him.

Dexter started to notice this, but didn't bother to move at all.

"I just didn't want you involved. I wanted to deal with this on my own. Deb, I didn't mean to make you help me."

Debra shook her head, slight tears of frustration starting to form in her eyes. She had to close her eyes just to keep them at bay.

"Dex, I WANTED to help you, but….none of this feels right! What we did-"

"What I did Deb. This isn't on you."

She opened her eyes slowly to see that Dexter had taken steps towards her as well. She just froze on the spot, not expecting this proximity at all, and just like in the church, she wasn't sure if she really wanted it. Dexter keeps his gaze and clenches his jaw in frustration. He wasn't sure what he was doing. All these lies just seemed to make things worse for her. He wants so badly to fix this for his sister, but there wasn't anything he could do.

No, even that was wrong. The most he could do now is keep her from the truth of his 'dark passenger'. As long as he successfully does that, she will stay safe from his darkness.

Dexter softly exhales and turns towards his room, only to slightly face her before he enters.

"Deb, i'm sorry. I know it isn't right. I just...I never meant to get you involved."

Before he could turn around, she takes another small step in his direction, her body seeming to move on its own.

"But I am!...For you...I am…"

Dexter turns around fully to meet her eyes again. Debra almost looks confused with what she said, as if she caught herself off guard. She looks off to the side in slight frustration and sits down on the nearest chair. Dexter rubs his hands on his face and slowly makes his way back to her. He has to get her to stop pushing this.

"I don't know what else to say. I made a huge mistake, but it's over. So….let it be over."

Debra didn't even seem to want to look him in the eyes anymore. Dexter ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes in exasperation.

"Look, i'm sorry-"

 _Briiing!_

Debra's phone cut through the tension, and she didn't hesitate to pick it up to get out of this conversation she started.

"Morgan."

Dexter shakes his head and continues to pack his things, until the sound of sudden panic comes from his sister.

"What, when?!"

Dexter looks over to her immediately in concern. What could possibly happen now? Debra just sighs heavily and places her hand on her forehead.

"Fuck...alright, we're on our way."

Debra shuts off her phone and quickly starts to gather her things.

"That was dispatch, Mike's been shot."

"What? Is he okay?"

"I don't know, but we need to go see now." Her words sounding more drained now.

Dexter just sighs before turning back to his things.

"Alright, just go ahead-"

"I mean fucking now Dex!"

Dexter just turns back to his sister in surprise. As much as he's use to her colorful vocabulary, he could also tell when she was on a short fuse.

"Deb, I have to finish putting together my bag, and I don't even know where my keys are. Just go, i'll be two minutes behind you when I get the address, I promise."

Debra just continued to stare at him, looking for something in his eyes. This time though, Dexter looks right back at her confidently, the truth surfacing from his dark green eyes.

"I'm right behind you. I promise."

She hesitates at first, but she eventually nods her head and walks out the door. Dexter's gaze lingers on the door for a second before he goes off to prepare himself. Except, he wasn't just prepping for the trip to the crime scene.

He closes the door to Harrison's room, being sure not to wake him. He goes to the adjacent room, steps behind the door and gives a swift, hard kick to the wall, exposing the hollow space within. Reaching inside the hole, Dexter pulls out a black bag.

"I didn't know I might need you so soon…"

Dexter's getaway pack. His contingency plan if things ever went south for his life as a serial killer. It included all the cell phones, passports, fake ids, and anything else he'd need to start his incognito lifestyle. But, this wasn't what he wanted. As much as he prepared for it, he's always dreaded the day that it would come.

He abruptly stops stuffing extra things in the bag and scoffs.

"Damn it Debra…..just, leave it alone."

He knows her prodding could eventually make him utilize this, and as much as he hated it, he'd do whatever it took to keep her away from his secret. His eyes shift over to his picture of Debra and himself, and then he gives a slight smile to the picture of him holding Harrison. His family, the people that forced him to feel something for a change. He failed Rita, but, he would keep what he has left safe, no matter what. After all…..

He wouldn't let his darkness destroy them.

* * *

"Whoever did this to Mike, they'll be very sorry."

"Or very fucking dead."

Angel and Quinn continuously spout furious comments as Anderson's body is hauled onto a stretcher. The officers surrounding his corpse saluted their fallen comrade, and the rest of the usual homicide team also hung their heads in sadness. Debra eventually clenched her fists and looked over to her two subordinates.

"Guys, cool it. We're officers, not killers. Whoever did this….they'll pay with jail time." Debra chastised.

The two scoffed but remained silent nonetheless. Debra sighed harshly and placed her hand on her forehead. She felt fortunate enough to be hiding her eyes away with red sunglasses. By this point, her eyes were just filled with dread and exhaustion.

" _Fuck me, I can't believe this...I wonder if I was the last one to talk to him last night? Damnit..."_

The memory of Anderson laughing at her usual choice of words lingers in her mind, making all of this much worse.

" _I'm so sorry Mike….We'll get this fucker, I promise."_

Debra looks up to see her brother walking up to the crime scene, her heart beat growing faster ever so slightly, but a frown embedded on her face. Gah! She really wished her body would stop acting on its own today. She was still mad or sad or...whatever she was at Dexter. Everything about him was just causing more and more stress for her lately, and she was becoming unsettled by it all.

Dexter could somewhat pick up on Debra's bad mood from afar, but after looking at Anderson's corpse enter the ambulance car, he understood he wasn't the only source of her strife. Dexter didn't know Anderson well, but unlike Louis, Anderson's high opinion of him was actually respectable.

He could only assume Anderson didn't deserve this. For Dexter, this not only meant a chance for revenge, but an opportunity to get another kill in.

" _I'll be sure to include you in that ritual Anderson."_

As he got closer to the others, he noticed someone else examining a body within the trunk of a car. Great, another nosy Masuka intern. They'd better hope their not as curious about his personal life as much as Louis is, for their sake.

LaGuerta followed Dexter's line of sight and cleared her throat.

"Everyone, this is Detective Seer, he was hired yesterday. He also supposedly has a deep, natural forensic ability that is rated highly among the bureau. So, Dexter and Masuka can consult with him when appropriate."

Masuka mumbled under his breath about the 'superstar', but Angel jabs him with his elbow to keep him quiet. Quinn looks the Detective up and down, slightly annoyed that he couldn't even bother to turn around to see them. Debra on the other hand just shifted uncomfortably, why wasn't she told about this? She gave a look to LaGuerta, but the Captain only passively shrugged it off.

"With the whole Travis situation, and then...Anderson, we had to make a fast decision and it got buried underneath the chaos." LaGuerta said matter of fact.

A soft chuckle came from the trunk, the new guy just shrugging, his back still turned from the group.

"It's alright Captain, I don't need a welcoming party. We have a death on our hands anyhow."

His voice was smooth and confident, with a dash of light-heartedness. He turns around, revealing his face to the group. Everyone else just casually takes in his features, but Dexter gives an analytical approach to his appearance.

The man had bright green eyes that stood out, opposite to his own that were more of a darker green shade. They were around the same build size, but the man packed on a little more muscle. They even looked around the same age too. Already, Dexter could see how nonchalant the guy was. Hopefully, he wouldn't be another hindrance.

The Detective took his time to shake hands with everyone there, and he even felt the need to laugh with another joke Masuka threw out there. Ugh.

"It's nice to meet you all, and you must be Dex-"

Suddenly the group went quiet as the man just halted all of his movements once his eyes landed on Dexter, and then he took a small step back. His green eyes were so wide that they seemed to shimmer under the bright sun. Everyone in the group just looked upon this exchange in curiosity and confusion, but Dexter, well, just stared right back.

Dexter was more confused than anyone else. He was completely sure that he's never seen this guy before, so why did this man have such a surprised expression? Now, Dexter was slightly curious about him.

It was an interesting look that he was receiving after all. The Detective's expression was a number of things. He looked confused, startled even, but, there was a touch of sadness, or maybe….pity? The tension in the air didn't resonate well with Dexter, but it seemed the same for the other man too.

Dexter exhaled a little and shifted uncomfortably under the man's piercing gaze. What was his problem?

"Uhh…" Dexter just looked off to everyone else before his eyes landed back on the strange man.

LaGuerta looked between the two, and when she cleared her throat, the man stuck out his hand towards Dexter, his face no longer smiling as he did with the other greetings. Yet, there wasn't a trace of malice either.

"Nathan Seer. Detective."

Dexter hesitated at first, but eventually shook hands with the strange guy. He didn't notice until now, but Nathan too had white gloves ready for the crime scene as well. He might be experienced in forensics after all.

"Dexter Morgan. Blood Splatter expert."

Nathan raises a curious brow, but Masuka just leans in to break the awkward exchange.

"He just really loves blood. Its his thing."

Nathan simply chuckles at this comment. "That's pretty weird huh?"

Everyone collectively gives Nathan an incredulous look. Says the guy who just awkwardly stares at someone he just met? Nathan however just seems to have bypassed it all as he still keeps his eyes on Dexter. The star of this moment wasn't really up for this attention, but Nathan finally shifted his gaze between Dexter and Debra.

"So, Morgan right? Are you two married?"

"...w-what?"

Debra finally managed to speak out as she blinks rapidly, her face slightly turning rose red like her sunglasses. Dexter remained silent, his hand now wiping some sweat off his forehead. Everyone else in the group took to laughing, with the exception of Quinn, who seemed to be uncomfortable with having 'marriage and Debra' as the topic of conversation.

Dexter sighed softly at the innocent look Nathan had. Just great, another reason for his sister to possibly be moody with him. It's only been a few minutes, and this guy has already managed to make Dexter's life more awkward and difficult.

Nathan however just shrugged at everyone's reaction.

"So that's a maybe I take it?" He even took to yawning. What is up with this guy?

"Heh, sorry Detective, but they're siblings." Angel managed to get out from his laughter.

"Well, in some countries-"

As Masuka seemed to lighten up, surely with an inappropriate comment in tow, Debra hastily interjects.

"We're foster siblings actually…." Debra murmured immediately.

Unfortunately for her, it was loud enough to catch everyone's attention, mainly Dexter. Debra looked up to see mixed responses, most sharing a peculiar glance, but Dexter was just simply staring at her. Debra's face returned to a slight blush when their eyes met, and she quickly looked towards the trunk. Okay, she has officially had enough of this meet and greet session.

"Anyway! Dex, do your job and look at the fucking body. Now."

Dexter raises his eyebrows and breathes out. Great.

He awkwardly shifts past Nathan, who happens to still be staring at him, and he starts to examine the body. LaGuerta shook her head in amusement. When it came to Debra's interaction with Dexter, there was no controlling Debra's mouth, even from LaGuerta's position as Captain. What a strange team she has.

Debra sighs softly and pushes some hair away from her face and behind her ear.

" _Fuck me….why fucking me?"_

As Dexter continued to give his explanation for the fate of the woman in the trunk, Debra just kept her eyes on him, a slight pink hue still evident on her face. She wasn't sure what was wrong with her.

She's never specifically mentioned to them that her and Dexter were foster siblings. They were still siblings after all, but, there were changes. One of them is a really suspicious killer, and the other is questionably in love with the other. Just like regular siblings right?

Sigh, nothing was easy for Debra Morgan nowadays.

Dexter looks up from talking to see Debra's eyesight pinned on him, her arms crossed in irritation. He could feel the burn of her steely gaze despite her eyes hiding behind sunglasses. The slight blush on her face didn't escape him either, but he could only associate it with Nathan's embarrassing assumptions. Besides, he knew that wasn't her real issue.

" _When will she believe me? When will she just let this all go? And, what if she never does?"_

Debra turns her head slightly away from him, avoiding his attention, leaving Dexter to just sigh in defeat.

" _Deb…."_

"Hey? Earth to Dexter? When do you think she hit the bucket?"

Dexter turns towards Quinn, who has a slightly impatient look plastered on his face. The Morgan siblings, or rather foster siblings, were all over the place today. Dexter opens his mouth to speak, but Nathan steps up.

"Judging by the lividity and pooling on her body, I say it was about eight to twelve hours ago."

"About the time we all left the church…."

Debra glances over to Dexter once again, steadily looking into his eyes this time.

"What a fucked up couple of days huh?" Her eyes never left his.

Dexter just exhales and averts his eyes away from her as their comrades gave their own comments in agreement. Nathan however, just peered at the exchanges between the two 'siblings'. He gave a small smile to their interaction and hummed to himself. Nathan was about to say something but Masuka started pulling something from the bag of evidence.

"Well, it looks like it's about to get more fucked up Lieutenant, and not in a 'night out on the town' kind of way." Masuka quipped.

Before Debra could unleash her favorite words on Masuka, the bag he pulled out grabbed her, and everyone else's, attention. The air grew tense all because of a little white card. Unknown to them, Nathan inwardly smiled.

"What…'Free the Phantoms'? What does that even mean?" LaGuerta spoke, puzzlement filled her features.

"I don't know, but it was found right by Anderson's body." Masuka explained sadly.

"So, Phantom, as in a ghost? Un Fantasma?" Angel looked off in bewilderment.

"C'mon, ghosts are bullshit. This has to be some catchphrase." Quinn suggested.

"Well, it sounds like a metal band. Maybe Anderson was in-"

While Masuka received a chorus of 'shut ups', Dexter's mouth was slightly agape and his eyes squinted in thought, recognition slowly filling his mind. Debra on the other hand only looked at it once and as usual, looked to her brother for answers. Only, he looked surprised, as if he knew something. She inches towards him slightly.

"Dex, what is it?" She whispers softly, leaning in towards him, but her arms remained crossed.

Dexter just shakes his head, turning to his sister who was a mere few inches away. Even with her tinted sunglasses on, he could still connect his eyes with hers. The way she would look into his eyes for answers, it would stir something in him. Dexter didn't know what, but he knew he couldn't help but return her gaze as softly as he could.

He found himself doing this a lot lately, particularly ever since he told her that he loved her during the Doomsday Killer case. It was a shocking revelation to her, but deep down, he always knew it himself despite not being very vocal about it. Of course he loves his sister, and for a while, she was all he had. He had to protect her, even from himself.

" _Which is exactly why I can't tell her about this…"_

Dexter recalls a series of murders many years ago, way before his brother Brian started his own round of killings. Each wasn't set to a specific demographic like most serial killers. There were men, women, and children of all shapes and races, all killed in cold blood. Yet, all evidence pointed to a suicide.

The only consistency that deflected this was a single card left with every corpse that read: "Free the Phantoms". Of course, the cards never had fingerprints on them and were near impossible to track. At the time, Dexter wanted to take whoever this was out, but he had his hands full in Miami's homicide filth.

He isn't surprised that none of them remember it specifically, this was happening in about fifteen different states after all and the FBI kept it under wraps. If Special Agent Frank Lundy were still alive, he'd be enthusiastic about finally catching this guy. For years these kills went on, but they had suddenly stopped a few years before Brian's spree, so why now? And why this woman and Anderson? None of this even looked like a suicide...

The only thing Dexter knew was that he didn't need to give Debra anymore reasons to distrust him. If this was a chance for him to take out another lunatic serial killer, then he'd gladly take it, alone. He will keep her safe, no matter what.

LaGuerta called over Debra, and she gave one last look to Dexter before walking away. He takes this opportunity to use his phone to get a print ID on the girl, and then makes his way inside the car.

If he wanted to catch this person, he'd need everything he could get. Masuka followed his lead, but everyone else began to rationalize the scenario themselves.

"So, this all comes down to one person at a minimum." Debra spoke, her Lieutenant confidence coming back.

"The shooter kills this girl, who judging by her choice of clothes is a stripper. He dumps her in the trunk, and then what?" Angel starts to look to the side of the car, Quinn following his eyesight.

"Looks like he got a flat tire or something...and Anderson.." Quinn trails off, but LaGuerta places a hand on his shoulder.

"Mike tries to do a kind act, and gets repaid with death..." LaGuerta finishes off, but Nathan steps forward, his face passive.

"And the killer leaves a card, sending his message for us to find. He...must have also taken Anderson's car as well. We found it in an industrial park this morning."

Everyone nods their head at Nathan, and he smirks as he walks towards the driver seat, looking at the two forensic geniuses inside as he continues.

"Which means, the killer must have wiped this car clean before the grand escape, leaving the girl behind as well…."

Dexter noted the inquisitive tone in his voice, but, he did have a point. The killer must have been in a big rush, and yet he had enough time to clean the car….

Dexter was thrown out of his thoughts as a print match popped up. He stepped out of the car and looked towards the group.

"I've got a match, her name was Kaja Soroko."

"Ah, that's who the car is registered to. We'll figure out where she works. Hopefully this bastard is a frequent visitor." Angel spat, hoping this criminal could feel his anger right now.

Nathan yawns.

Dexter and Masuka get back into the car, hoping to find something, anything. Masuka grunted in defeat as he checked everything. But, Dexter knew exactly where to look that he hasn't. He secretly started to move in, but suddenly Nathan appeared in the doorway again, nonchalantly pointing inside the car.

"You know, you should check the turn signal."

"..."

Dexter stared at him, surprise written across his face. Masuka adjusted his glasses, his eyes brimming with curiosity. Nathan just grins, his eyes staring right back at Dexter's.

"Criminals always forget to clean it, just as you forget to check it. Looks like Dexter remembered though, right?"

Okay. Dexter really didn't like this guy. Masuka patted Dexter on the shoulder for his find, but Dexter was too distracted with his stare off with Nathan. There went his chance of keeping his findings a secret, for Masuka anyway. But Debra...

Dexter quickly glances towards his sister, and she seemed absorbed in her conversation with LaGuerta and Angel. He grins, that's good, she wasn't listening. After taking the sample and leaving the car, Dexter looks towards Nathan, who just casually shrugs, and sticks his hand out once again.

"Looks like my experience will come in handy after all, right Dexter?"

Dexter stares at his hand. Again, there was no malice from this guy, but the air just seemed to shift ever so slightly whenever they interacted. Dexter couldn't quite find out why, but he had a theory. Nathan kind of reminded him of himself.

Nathan was awkward yet confident, and to be honest, he seemed pretty knowledgeable about forensics. Crazy enough, Dexter felt like he was looking in a mirror, but Nathan didn't carry the air of underlying 'darkness' Dexter believed he himself had. Dexter's 'lizard brain' wasn't detecting anything from this guy, except annoyance.

Dexter could only see him as an awkward Detective who knew his way around the lab, but, he'd have to keep an eye on him. He doesn't want another Louis after all.

Dexter shakes his hand, both of their grips firm yet calm.

"I sure hope so Detective. See ya." Dexter lets go and starts to head for his car.

Nathan places his hands in his pocket, smirking as Dexter walks out of range.

"I sure will, Dexter." Nathan stifles a yawn again before walking to his car.

Little did Dexter know, Debra was also staring at him from afar. Images of the night at the church still burned within her, and even now memories of her being strapped to the table by Brian flashed inside her head. She hated it, but she couldn't hold them back no matter how hard she tried. Something was amiss with all of this.

" _You're fucking hiding something Dex...I just know it…"_

She wasn't sure yet, hell, she wasn't even completely sure about her feelings anymore. But, she would stop at nothing to find the truth. And nothing speaks the truth more than the evidence room.

* * *

For someone on a mission, she sure was nervous.

Debra strolled into the department building with confidence, but with each step she took, memories of her night on the table creeped up. She wasn't sure what she wanted to find, but she needed something, anything, to stop the madness within her.

" _Fuck, get a grip! I just need to get to evidence. Stay calm, stay-Shit."_

Stopping in her tracks, she found herself looking into her brother's eyes once again, but he resided in his office behind the glass window. She didn't know why, but he almost looked just like he did the night she caught him. He looked guilty, but above all, sad.

" _What're you doing Dexter?..."_

Seeing his tired, sad eyes, her first thought was to go right into that room to see him, but she couldn't fall for it. Not now.

There was no way she'd start feeling guilty for getting on his case. He was the reason she was like this after all. If he'd just stop being so suspicious and damn weird and making her heart flutter…

" _Fuck me."_

Debra sighed before breaking the eye contact and walking away. She had enough of him for now. All she needed was to fuel her curiosity.

Soon Debra made her way into the evidence room, but her eyes lingered onto the box labeled 'ICE TRUCK KILLER'. She took a deep breath. She has to do this.

She takes down the box and slowly rummages through its contents, finding a folder that held pictures. With a slight pause, she clenches the folder, her hands slightly shaking in reminiscent of that night. She takes a deep breath again.

" _You can do this Debra…"_

She holds in her breath as she slowly opens the folder, revealing several pictures of tables filled with plastic wrap. With every picture she flipped to, the daunting memories of her night came once again. Yet this time, the scene of the church creeped into her mind as well.

Dexter, Travis's body, the plastic wrap, all of it. It was so similar that a shiver of fear ran through her heart. Those two nights just kept flashing, back to back to back to back. The plastic wrap, the knives, the cold table, Dexter, the fear, the darkness, the fear, the fear, the fear.

She shuts her eyes.

"Dex…."

Her breathing became unstable and she panted slightly. She felt like she had just ran a mile. She places her hand over her beating heart, hoping to help calm it.

She was getting tired of this, and it was about time she got some answers.

Walking back into the main room, she could see Angel speaking to everyone else about Kaja Soroko and the club. She did note that Detective Seer wasn't around, but she had a bigger inquiry on her plate.

In his office, Dexter stares at his computer screen, frustration lining his features. He had gotten no match once again from his turn signal sample, at least not in the usual spots. After setting search to 'INTERPOL', Dexter crosses his arms in thought. Whoever this guy was, he seemed almost impossible to find, but Dexter had expected this. He was looking for the Phantom Killer after all.

Information on the Phantom Killer remained an open tab on part of his screen. This person had murdered many people, maybe more than the late Trinity Killer and even Dexter himself. His territory was in numerous states among the US, and of course, he was untraceable.

It was as Dexter remembered, each death was expertly set up as a suicide, but with each crime scene containing the infamous white card, it had to be the work of a serial killer. He was famous to more higher tier organizations such as the FBI, and they were toyed with. Impressive.

But years ago, the murders had stopped completely.

" _So, why Soroko and Anderson? Neither was set up as a suicide. Not to mention, Anderson had a fractured skull. It was like he was hit with a bat before being shot in the head..."_

Before he could think on this further, his door creaked open. Dexter quickly removes the tab from his computer screen, leaving only the print search up. Too much of a close call, especially when it was the one person he wanted to hide from the most.

"Hey Deb, what-"

"Dexter, shut up." Debra's voice was abnormally stern and stressed.

Dexter sighs. Here it comes again. He nods towards her, noticing her hands fidgeting with some folder he didn't recognize. Debra continued.

"I keep having these weird flashbacks, you know, being on Ru-I mean Bria-or whatever the fuck you want to call him. YOUR brother's table Dex."

Dexter exhales. Brian's attempt to kill his sister was like an ugly scar on Debra's life, and unfortunately, that meant on Dexter's life too.

"Deb, I know how hard that must have bee-" Dexter starts, but is halted by Debra, her hand in the air.

"And what bothers, no, what scares me the most, is that I was setup on that table the same way you setup Travis Marshall on the alter."

Dexter pinches the bridge of his nose. "Deb, i'm-"

"No! No more sorry's Dexter! Explain this to me, now!" Debra's stress finally peaking.

"I was there Deb, I pulled you off that tabled. I rescued you. Why don't you remember THAT?" Dexter spat, exasperated with this whole thing.

"I mean..I-i don't know! I was on that table Dex, I was going to DIE on that table. I just keep getting flashes of the moment, but you'd think I'd remember every fucking second of that! The only thing I remember fully is how scared I was! How...how broken I was…" Debra started to sniff as she held back tears of frustration.

Dexter ran his hands through his face, only to hide the guilt and sadness that started to creep onto his face. He looked up to see that she wasn't crying, but watery, bold eyes bore into his own. She slapped the pictures of Brian's work onto Dex's table, and he peered over with an exhausted expression.

"Deb-"

"Dexter, how is it that you were able to perfectly duplicate everything he set up? It's the same amount of plastic wrap, same positioning...it's all the same Dexter! Exactly the fucking same…" Debra's voice became urgent and mistrustful. Her eyes pleading with his for some explanation.

Dexter just stares right back, the wheels turning in his head.

" _If only Brian wasn't trying to imitate me. Damnit! What can I say now?"_

He looked off from her penetrating eye sight, rubbing the side of his neck. He hated this, but he could only go with a small portion of the truth, in his own way.

"Deb, I know...I know this is crazy, all of it. It's crazy I set him up like that, it's crazy I had to kill him, it's crazy that you had to see all of that. It's...wait, why were you even there?" Dexter confidently questioned, turning the tables of interrogation.

Dexter had asked himself that question many times that night, but he never did get an answer from his constantly suspicious sister. Debra looked taken back, her eyes wide with surprise. Dexter blinked at her strange reaction. Was she...blushing?

"I...I was j-just…" Her voice hitched. Shit.

Her heart started to beat slightly faster now that she was on the spot, and with a little shake of her head, she cleared her throat.

"I was just fucking checking, you know, to see if everything was okay…" Her voice trailed off but she kept her eye contact with his, along with the slight red hue on her face.

Dexter imagined her red face was from all of her tenseness, and he looked off with a heavy sigh. He couldn't take it anymore. Hurting her, causing her stress, but what could he do? She was pushing his limits here.

Debra could see the stress evident on his face, and she took a small step towards him.

"Look Dex, i'm sorry for all the questions and suspicions, but...Dexter i'm, i'm trying to make sense of all this! I NEED to make sense of all this. You don't know how hard it's been..."

Oh, Dexter had an idea. Debra's voice nowadays was filled only with stress and worry. Not to mention, her constant interrogations forced him to feel her pain. He could only imagine how she'd be with his actual secret, but even with just this, it was tearing her apart. So, it tore him apart too.

His dark green eyes travel back to her glossy, brown ones. She wore such an expectant expression, his heart flipping just from that, and his eyes were desperately drowning in hers. For this moment, Dexter wished he did have an answer, he wished he had something, anything. But there was nothing. He had his darkness, and his love for his sister that didn't seem enough to keep her at bay. Just like his dream, he was destroying her, and it was killing him.

"It's not going to make sense Deb. I don't know what else to say."

It was the truth really, but, Debra just blinked in confusion and defeat. He sadly stared up at her all the same, and he shrugged tiredly. They both broke eye contact, and Dexter had to admit, somewhere inside, that hurt him for reasons he couldn't explain.

" _Please….please just let it go Deb…"_

Debra shakes her head, sniffing slightly. With her mission being a failure, she looked towards Dexter's monitor, anxious to talk about something else.

"Did you find anything in the car yet?"

"No."

"...And the card?"

"Nothing."

"..."

"..."

Debra closes her eyes hard, fighting back the urge to cuss him out. So this was how it was going to be? She scoffs, hastily picking up the pictures from his desk, and doesn't even bother to glance his way before exiting his office.

Dexter looked towards the door, his eyes filled with pain. Disappointment and failure was stabbing him from the inside, and the remedy seemed out of reach.

" _I'm sorry Deb, just...just give it up…"_

Dexter sighed heavily. Technically he still told a truth, the card didn't have any evidence on it. But…

He turns towards his monitor screen, a victorious smile forms on his face. Finally! A win that he could work with. And oh, would this be a sweet win.

"Viktor Baskov, the 'Phantom Killer'..."

Dexter's dark green eyes hardened, and he started to pack his bags.

With everything falling apart, he needed this kill. He needed this remedy. Keeping Debra away from this was the only thing he could do for her now. She didn't need the stress of another serial killer hunt on her hands, and she surely didn't need to know he was pacifying the dark obsession that clung to him like a leech.

Today, he'd get revenge for Anderson's death.

Today, he'd sacrifice another criminal to his 'dark passenger'.

And finally, today he'd keep Debra safe from his ultimate secret.

As Dexter walked out of the office, Debra stared at him curiously. It would be an understatement in saying she was done with her brother today, but, his expression was different. He didn't look tired, he didn't look guilty. No, he looked like HE was on a mission now.

As the elevators closed with him inside, she couldn't fend off the burning images of Dexter stabbing Travis at the church.

" _Dex…"_

Even with what happened earlier, her curiosity still irritated her like a bad itch. Fine, she wouldn't let this go. But there had to be something behind all of this.

She walks into Dexter's office, determined once again to find anything that might quench her thirst for the truth. Debra reaches for Dexter's computer, expecting to see a login screen, but instead…

"Oh Dex…"

Her heart almost melts from the wallpaper on Dexter's desktop. In it, Debra and Dexter were playing with a smiling Harrison, whose fascination with bubbles seemed endless. Debra wanted to smile, but, looking at Dexter's face, she just couldn't. All she could see now was his small smile before he plunged his knife into Travis's body.

She slightly shakes her head, her eyes refusing to leave the screen as if she could somehow just teleport back to that moment. But this was where she was, and Dexter still did what he did.

And the haunting memories, unfortunately, won't give her peace.

* * *

"Well, looks like someone packed in a hurry."

Dexter stands in the hotel room of Viktor, a slight smile on his face despite the seriousness of the situation.

After all the stress with Travis's religious siege and Debra's suspicions, Dexter felt elated to be on the hunt for a kill. His darkness may have been the stigma of all his troubles, but now, he was in his element.

Of course, the prize being a notorious serial killer definitely brought a skip to his step.

Dexter eventually finds the evidence he needed to pin the crime on Viktor, blood and gunshot residue on a discarded shirt.

" _Tsk tsk Viktor, looks like you've gotten rusty…"_

Dexter considered himself no hero, but doing what the FBI couldn't for years in a matter of a day, he felt unstoppable. This only slightly helped subside his guilt towards Debra. If only she knew the good he has done, but it was for the best.

Dexter continues his investigation, finding flight plans to Kiev, Ukraine. Dexter smiles.

" _How careless Viktor. You won't get away this time, the 'Phantom Killer' will be no more."_

By the time Dexter reached the 'International Airport', he had already discovered his credit/debit cards were completely empty. It was just another thing to figure out later, but as he finally made it through the gates, his sole concern was finding his target.

Dexter shifts his gaze from person to person. Once to the pregnant lady with the screaming kids, to the excessively flirting pair, to the excessively arguing pair that somehow reminded him of a certain upset sister...and to the….the...

Sigh.

" _I need to focus, this is for Deb guy is-"_

Dexter freezes on the spot, his eyes hardening and a small smirk formed on his face. His dark green eyes trained on a man with brown combed hair and sporting a preppy style of clothing. The bandage that was wrapped around his forehead threw Dexter off, but, that'd be the least of Viktor's worries.

" _Hello Viktor, the 'Phantom Killer'."_

It was time to cleanse the world of another killer.

Viktor shifts uncomfortably, the light bag he had felt heavier every second he stood around. Memories of the previous night still lingered on his mind. The strength of that man, the nonchalant attitude towards killing, and above all, the psychotic green eyes that peered into his own. They haunted him.

" _I...I need to just calm down. This is why i'm leaving, there's no way that guy can follow me out of the country…"_

He takes a deep breath and carefully runs his hands on his bandaged face, which was still intensely bruised from the assault. As much as he tried to stray from his thoughts, the sound of the gunshot to Anderson's skull still rang in his head. And oh, the way his own skill smashed into the pavement-

" _Bathroom. Now."_

He briskly walks to the nearest bathroom, his heart pumping harder with every step. He drops his bag immediately on the bathroom floor, and he starts to splash cold water on his face, bypassing the pain even that brought him.

"Calm down...calm down. I'll be out of here soon…"

He wiped some water on his face, the cold distracting him slightly from his turmoil. There was no way he could expect someone to be standing right behind him.

"Excuse me sir-"

"Ahh!"

Viktor screamed in terror, not sure who it was, but all sense lost him as the devilish grin of his assailant flashed in his mind. This left a rather confused Dexter standing awkwardly with his hands up, not sure why a mass murdering criminal just screamed bloody murder. He looked over his shoulder, hoping that no one heard his scream.

Viktor panted, back towards the sink and he stared wide eyed at Dexter, who deep down, was trying very hard not to even chuckle. THIS was the 'Phantom Killer'? Either way, now Dexter had lost his easy plan for his usual assassin-like tactics.

"Uhh, i'm sorry? Anyway, it seems you forgot your wheelchair." Dexter said matter of factly.

Viktor just stared at Dexter, his panicked panting not seeming to die down. He sighed before regaining some semblance of composure. How dare this douche bag make him scream like a girl?

"What? I don't have-what're you doing here?! Just...just get out of my way asshole."

Viktor started to move towards his brown bag, but Dexter sighed. Okay, Plan B.

Viktor reached down for his bag, but in that second, a familiarity reached him in the form of a painful throb on his temple. He was suddenly reminded of last night, when he was backing up from Anderson one second, and then on the street bleeding the next. Oh no.

"Fuc-"

Viktor's nightmare came true as Dexter's knee rammed right into Viktor's temple, the same spot where a lethal roundhouse kick landed last night.

Viktor reeled back in pain, but he remained barely standing. Dexter closed the gap in an instant, grabbing Viktor's arm and flipping him over his shoulder. Viktor felt the air being knocked out of his body as he crashed into the ground, his back arching in pain.

Dexter quickly moved onto his prey, his syringe poking straight into Viktor's neck, effectively silencing his groans from the assault. Dexter lifted his body and hastily placed him onto the wheelchair before any onlookers came from the tussle.

He waited a beat, and thankfully, the 'CLOSED FOR CLEANING' sign he placed in front of the bathroom, along with all of the airport noise, must have warded off any curious ears.

Dexter usually preferred the stealth approach, but when the time came for him to utilize his martial arts proficiency, he'd do what needed to be done.

He starts to roll Viktor's body out of the bathroom, avoiding any curious glances.

" _Now, just to find the perfect kill room…."_

Dexter wandered around a bit before his eyes landed on a door, 'UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE'. He could see a worker locking the door, and it's open hours were passed. He smiled victoriously.

" _Perfect."_

He was lucky to have proficiency in lock picking as well. Either way, he couldn't wait to officially say 'hello' to the 'Phantom Killer'.

* * *

"Lieutenant, you got a second?"

Debra turned to see Angel and Quinn walking towards her. She still felt strange that she wasn't really 'one of them' anymore, but the casual grins on their face eased her mood. At least some people weren't causing her stress. Angel continued.

"We went to the club and shut everything down. Even after questioning everyone, no one has seen or heard from Soroko, not even the owner, George Novikov." Angel finished, and Quinn noticeably scoffed at the mention of George.

Debra sighed. So much for no stress.

"Damn it, what was her schedule like?"

"We know she did work last night. She signed in at ten o'clock, but of course, never checked back in." Quinn chipped in.

"We found blood in the parking lot, probably belonging to Soroko. But, no one remembers her leaving or who she was even giving 'service' to." Angel finished off.

Debra crossed her arms in thought. Quinn gave a small chuckle, catching both of their attentions.

"What?" Debra demanded.

"It's just, it's like she was a ghost that night. With the whole 'Free the Phantoms' gimmick, it's strangely fitting." Quinn explained, the humor lost as he trailed on.

Debra nodded her head, remembering that daunting message on the white card.

" _What could all of that even mean? And it was left on Anderson's body too…"_

"What do you want us to do Lieutenant?" Angel inquired. He always showed his support in following her orders. It was able to get a slight smile from Debra.

"Well, I think it's bullshit that no one has seen her. Someone must know something at that club, and maybe even something about that card. Shut down the club everyday until someone talks." Debra commanded. Dexter refused to give her real answers, but she sure as hell wouldn't let any strippers bypass her.

Quinn and Angel nodded, gearing up to settle business now. Memories of her late night talk with Anderson reeled into her mind, and Debra quickly stepped forward.

"W-wait! Just uhh, take the night off and rest up. It's been one fucked up day enough, so just start fresh tomorrow."

Quinn was so use to her moodiness that he simply shrugged, but Angel showed concern in his eyes.

"You alright Debra?" Angel asked.

She wasn't sure. Now she was just paranoid about all of her friends meeting some tragic end somewhere. Everything was just turning her crazy lately. If only her stupid brother wasn't so weird.

"Yeah of course. It's just been a long fucking day." Debra says with a slight chuckle.

"True. Well i'm too worked up to sleep. Drinks?" Angel asked, looking at his two comrades.

Debra just shakes her head. "Nah, you two go, have SAFE fun, but drink an extra one for me."

"Ha, yea, we'll drink it safely just for you." Quinn laughs, Debra's eye roll just making it all better.

The two men bid their farewells before going out to put much needed alcohol in their system, leaving a curious Debra behind.

" _Hmm, a ghost huh?"_

Debra makes her way towards Masuka for better answers than Dexter provided. It turns out Dexter was telling some truth, there wasn't anything on the card after all, nothing to even trace its manufacturing. Debra turns to Masuka before walking away.

"Oh, is Dexter here?" Debra softly asked.

"No, I told him i'd work late if he came in early today. But, your new superstar should be around here somewhere." Masuka pointed towards the briefing room.

"Who is-oh, Detective Seer. Thanks Masuka."

Debra didn't have much interest in talking to the man that unintentionally made things awkward for her today. But, maybe he might know something.

She walked into the room only to see him staring through the windows out at the night sky, the room lights remaining off. He had a folder under his arm, and she couldn't make out what it was. Before she could speak, he chuckled, his back still turned to her.

"Late night Lieutenant?"

A slight smirk formed on her face. "I could ask you the same thing Detective Seer."

Nathan just shook his head and turned towards her finally, his green eyes still seemed to glow in the darkness.

"C'mon Lieutenant, call me Nathan."

Debra raised a curious brow. Usually this would be the path of someone hitting on her, but the way he said it, he really sounded legitimately genuine. She crossed her arms in return, still smirking.

"Sure, just call me Debra then."

Nathan shrugged and gave her a smirk of his own. "Okay, Debra. You know, you seem less guarded than your foster brother."

"Yeah, Dexter he...he's just different. Always has been really…" Debra trailed off, her eyes wandering into a train of thought.

Nathan inwardly smiled and took a small step towards her. "How so?"

Debra just continued to look off, the wheels turning in her head.

" _Now that I think about it, Dex HAS always been mysterious. It was just part of his dorky charm, but now, maybe he...maybe-"_

"Debra?"

Debra jumped a little bit as she noticed Nathan had closed the gap between them. She looked into his eyes, searching for some mal intention, but he just simply stood there. Amusement played on his features, and he broke a grin.

"You always just go into your own world?"

Debra shakes her head and sighs. She was going nuts.

"Only lately. It's been...it's been really fucking stressful to say the least."

Nathan nods his head, and moves past her towards the door.

"Sounds like you need some rest, good nigh-"

Debra stops him by grabbing his arm. Nathan's arm wasn't rigid, but it was firm enough to hold the folder steady. That was the least of Debra's concern though.

"Wait, Nathan. Do you find… do you find something odd about him?"

She wasn't even sure why she was asking him, they all just met Nathan today for crying out loud! But, there was something odd about Nathan too, so maybe he had a 'lizard' brain like Dexter that could pick up on things.

Nathan turns towards her, staring straight into her eyes. It was strange, but Debra felt mesmerized by his eyes. She noticed his eyes were green just like Dexter's, but his lighter shade had a sort of glow. But, that wasn't what was strange.

The only person who got her to really look at them, to really see them, was Dexter, and now Nathan drew her in. Yet, not even Nathan could get her heart to flutter and face to blush like Dexter could. But now, this thought alone just confused her even more.

" _Fuck me…"_

Nathan could see from the way her eyes wavered that she was stuck in her thoughts again. He simply chuckled. Interesting the foster siblings were.

"Dexter, I bet he has a guard because he's hiding many things, more than any normal person would. I don't know what yet, but it's….caught my interest. As his sister, i'm sure you're more curious than I am about his secrets."

Debra kept her eye contact, her eyes wavering under his gaze, and her breathing hitched. Nathan doesn't even know what she does, but even he gets it! Dexter has secrets, and not just anything remotely normal...something, dark, she just knows it.

Debra released his arm and nodded. Nathan stifles a yawn before turning to walk out again.

"Whatever it is though, he seems to be in his own world too."

He gives a lazy wave to her before heading towards the elevator, leaving Debra to mull over his words on her own.

As Nathan walked into the elevator, he pulls the folder from underneath his arm and opens it. He casually flips through the pages that read 'DEXTER MORGAN', as if he's already filtered through its contents.

The elevator doors close, and Nathan smirks.

" _Odd indeed, Dexter."_

* * *

Viktor barely opens up his eyes, a white light blinding him, and making the pain in his head feel so much worse. He could tell his bandage was off, his bloody bruise completely being exposed. He groaned and cough, barely seeing his assailant amusingly spinning in the wheelchair next to him. Oh, Dexter was indeed in his own world, his dark passenger's field day.

Dexter stops his spinning, and takes a look at Viktor as he awakes. Memories of his dream this morning flashed in his head, and he was glad to find it wasn't a premonition for his fate. No, it'd be for someone far worse.

"Hello Viktor!" He's been waiting to say that.

Viktor just scoffed. "Where the hell am I?"

Dexter simply stood up and started to circle Viktor's body like his prey.

"Oh, it's just a place for things forgotten, never to be used or seen again. It seems fitting for you since you know..."

Dexter suddenly grabbed Viktor's face and penetrated his soul with his dark green eyes.

"You're the 'Phantom Killer'."

Viktor's eyes went wide, the word 'phantom' suddenly sending more fear through him than Dexter was.

"W-what are you talking about? I don't know anything about that!"

Dexter just chuckled darkly and roughly patted Viktor's face.

"Aww, there's no need to lie Viktor. This is a place of truth, so show your true colors. You didn't spare Kaja Soroko or Detective Anderson of your true nature."

Viktor stared up at Dexter, as if he was choosing his next words carefully.

"Okay...okay yes I killed that stupid bitch. I admit it…"

Dexter raised an eyebrow. Hmm.

"And Anderson?"

"..."

Dexter inhaled. Suddenly his fist smashed onto the immense bruise on Viktor's temple, leaving him to scream in agony. Dexter grabbed his face intensely this time, his eyes and voice growing even darker.

"Tell the truth Viktor! I saw the blood and gun residue on your clothes! YOU killed Kaja Soroko, YOU took off in her car, Anderson came to help YOU after the car broke down, and YOU shot him right in the head!"

Dexter's words were drenched in venom, and he even felt his own darkness peak. Yet, Viktor remained silent, his eyes wavering under his gaze, it was like he was distracted. Maybe he needed more motivation.

Before Dexter could send another hit to Viktor, he stopped mid-swing, his eyes glancing at the red, bloody bruise on Viktor's temple. He paused.

" _Anderson?..."_

He grabbed Viktor's face again, but this time less forceful.

"Humor me, did you bash Anderson's skull before you drove a bullet through his head?"

"..."

Viktor's eyes wavered again. Dexter clenched his jaw.

"Viktor, it'll be better for yourself if you answer me."

"No, it won't."

Now that caught Dexter's attention. He placed his finger onto Viktor's bruise, causing Viktor to give a hiss of pain.

"Okay Viktor. Then, did Anderson knock you in the head before you shot him?"

"..."

Dexter twisted his finger, earning an even more painful grunt from Viktor. Dexter was positive that Viktor killed Soroko, hell, Viktor even admitted it. But something was amiss.

"Viktor, what does 'Free the Phantoms' mean?"

Viktor's eyes widened and he started to wiggle under the plastic wrap.

"Get the fuck away from me!"

But Viktor immediately stopped, his eyes covered in fear and he looked off. This wasn't what Dexter had expected.

"What is it?"

"..."

"Viktor!"

Dexter drills his finger even harder into Viktor's bruise, and he cries out in pain.

"Argh! I-i can't say! I can't!"

Dexter exhaled in frustration.

"I can guarantee you Viktor, no one is going to come after you once i'm through with you. Give me some answers, now."

Viktor started to laugh, slight tears of pain rolling down his cheek and his face hot from the pain. He really was losing it.

"You...you think i'm afraid of you?! Fuck you! You crazy psycho! You don't even compare!...No, you just can't even compare…."

Dexter stared down at Viktor, his eyes scrunched in confusion.

" _Viktor, he's scared of someone, or something. Maybe there's others involved?...Shit, what does this mean..."_

As Dexter went into his own world of thought, Viktor just scoffed once again, still grunting from the pain.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Dexter looked over at Viktor, his eyes closing slightly.

"Because, I need control Viktor. I need normalcy for my sister's sanity and my peace. Me killing criminals, even serial killers like yourself, it's what keeps everything balanced."

Viktor just stared at him guy was a loon just like the one he encountered. He grimaced in pain once again before looking away from him.

"I don't give a fuck about you, at all. Just...just let me go. You don't want to fuck with the people who know me."

Dexter just simply shrugged before walking over to his table, grabbing a plastic bag from it.

"Are these people involved with the 'Free the Phantoms' card Viktor?"

After saying this, Dexter couldn't really explain the look on Viktor's face. There was defeat yes, but it was a kind of loss that he witnessed a few times in his killings. Usually it was reserved for those who have lost everything, including their sanity.

Viktor finally sighed as he moved his head towards Dexter, his tired, pained eyes turning dark. He sneered darkly, his face mixed with defeat and malice.

"Fuck you. My phantom will come back to haunt you."

Sigh.

There it was, sort of.

Dexter started to move over to his prey, plastic bag in hand, but Viktor started to chuckle.

"I don't know who you are, but I hope your phantom's are freed. Freed, just like that bitch. Freed, just like your precious Anderson. So, free mine and get it over with."

Dexter covered his face with the bag, and walked over to pick up a fire extinguisher. It'd be the closest he could come right now to representing the death of Kaja Soroko and Anderson.

"You know, I don't usually take orders. But, since you lasted impressively long as the 'Phantom Killer'..."

Dexter's smile of victory returns, and his eyes darken over.

"I'll make an exception."

Before Dexter began to brutally bash Viktor's head in, Viktor smiled underneath the bag. He wanted to die, but not so he could escape the torture of this man. Hell, not even to escape the sins of his wretched life.

No, he wanted to be rid of the nightmares that plagued him this day, that he knew would continue for the rest of his life. The green eyes that were the very manifestation of evil, the nonchalant smile that could care less about the concept of life. The devil in the form of a phantom.

And he could only hope, in his death, that the alleged 'Phantom Killer' would find the now unsuspecting man who was about to kill him. He would find him, haunt him, and then…

Free his phantom.

* * *

"It's George."

Isaak Sirko grinned, taking the phone from his bodyguard. It was about time he got this phone call. It was late in Miami, but in Kiev, Ukraine, Isaak has been up and waiting.

"This is Isaak."

"Viktor left on his flight already, he'll arrive in Kiev around five pm your time. But…"

Isaak frowned. "What is it?"

"The police think Viktor is the one who killed that cop, and now they're all nosy. They don't have anything of course, so i'll take care of it." George sighed heavily.

"And what about the assailant he mentioned?" Isaak asked, a hint of anger in his tone.

George just shrugged over the phone. "He still refused to give us a name. Hell, he wouldn't even describe the guy. The only thing that someone managed to pick up on was that he had green eyes and, I think, 'phantoms'? He sounded out of it to me..."

Isaak hummed in thought. He had to agree. When he talked to Viktor over the phone, he sounded so guarded and scared, as if the truth itself would cause him to combust. Isaak sighed, but George continued on.

"Don't worry, i'll take care of things on my end."

"You better."

Isaak ended the call there, his anger settling only slightly within him. He didn't know who Viktor's assailant was, but he'd make sure to create a special coffin for his death.

The Koshka Brotherhood would make sure of it.

* * *

Debra panted heavily, her legs growing tired from running on the treadmill.

It was a nice change to have her heart rate up for something else other than the scarring memories of Brian's table, or even romantic thoughts about her foster brother.

But, even then it didn't distract her mentally.

As she ran, all she could think about was Nathan's words. They ringed in her head, and honestly, made her even more suspicious about her brother. If someone who just met Dexter could see it, then how could she not stress about this? Nathan's voice and words just nagged, and nagged, and nagged….

"Fuck me…"

Debra stopped the machine. She's had enough of this, and the only voice she wanted to hear right now was Dexter's. She didn't even want to accuse him, she really just needed to simply hear his voice so that she could calm down. Even now, Dexter was still her "good place".

She quickly picked up her phone and dialed his house number, only to get what she didn't want.

"Hello?" Jamie asked in her usual upbeat voice.

Debra had to try really hard to contain her disappointment, careful not to lash out at Jamie for reasons she wouldn't understand.

"Hey...Jamie. Is Dexter home?"

"Ah no, I thought you'd know. He's working super late tonight isn't he?"

"… _.What?"_

If Debra wasn't tired already, she was now. All the energy seemed to just be drained from her, and her heart rate sped up, giving her no rest.

"O-oh, right, he...told me that. I just...I just want to know...d-does that happen a lot?" Debra stammered out.

Jamie raised a curious brow. "Uhh, yea sure! He's always working crazy hours, like last night he was out till like four am. It's pretty typical for him. He works so hard right?"

Debra blinked rapidly, and she ran her hand through her hair.

"I-i...I don't..."

"Are you alright Debra? You want me to tell him to call you?" Jamie's voice filled with concern.

"N-no! No, I'll….I'll see him in the morning. Thanks Jamie, good night."

When she closed the conversation, Debra couldn't control anything. Her thoughts, her heart, her body...it was all erupting due to the peak of her stress. A darkness was brewing.

Debra, in a panic, went over to the 'ICE TRUCK KILLER' files she took from evidence, and tore it open to look through all the pictures. With her mind racing with memories, pieces were abruptly coming back. Nathan's words were still ringing in her head as scenes of Dexter and Brian came over her, and Brian muttered to Dexter in his darkest voice.

" _You're a killer Dexter. Don't be weak. Kill her. Now."_

Debra's breath hitched as the memory of Dexter barely saving her came to, but, Brian's words still replayed over and over again. And then, the darkness flooded her mind.

Dexter lied.

Dexter was breaking her.

Nathan's words were practically screaming in her head now as well.

" _As his sister, i'm sure you're more curious than I am about his secrets."_

She was.

And nothing, absolutely nothing, was going to fucking stop her mission this time.

* * *

LaGuerta walked over to Masuka, hoping she'd finally get what she was looking for at these late hours of the night.

"Vince?"

Masuka looked up from his work with tired eyes, not even having to say anything before LaGuerta decided to continue on. She might have to get him a cup of coffee too.

"Have you been able to look over the evidence from the church yet?"

Masuka just simply shrugged and went back to work, not really paying her much mind.

"No, we've been totally swamped with Anderson's case, but it's all in that box waiting to be done." Masuka said tiredly.

LaGuerta closed her eyes in frustration, until she eyed the blood slide that sat comfortably in an evidence bag.

"So, does anyone on our team collect evidence with a blood slide by chance?" She inquired again.

Masuka stopped his work and gave her a puzzled look.

"Uhh, no not really. The only person who did that was Sergeant Doakes, and that was just because of his side hobby as the Bay Harbor Butcher, if you recall that."

Masuka realized he said that with a hint of annoyance, but hey, it was late. LaGuerta took to looking away from him, her eyes darkening with sorrow. Masuka sighed.

" _Great one Vince, make your Captain sad. That'll get you up in the ranks."_

Masuka looks towards her, his face softening up from his previously tired, grouchy one.

"Look, maybe i'll ask that new superstar guy, Nathan, if he'll want to look into that tomorrow. Otherwise, we are kind of swamped here. We'll get to it Captain, scouts honor." Masuka's voice softened.

LaGuerta just nodded before walking away. Vince was right about one thing, Detective Seer could be of some use to her. Which, is why she took the blood slide evidence, unknown to Masuka. She'd just have to ask Nathan herself. Because let's be honest.

There's no way Masuka was ever a boy scout.

* * *

Dexter walks up the stairs to his apartment, a slight skip in his step, but at the same time, he wore a thoughtful expression.

Viktor was a killer. He most definitely killed Kaja Soroko, and the blood he found would prove it, but, did he really kill Anderson too? Was he really the 'Phantom Killer'?

After fighting it so long, Viktor finally, sort of, confessed to it all, but Dexter still found something wrong about it. There was just a mixture of lies and truths within Viktor's last words, but the most prevalent emotion of all was fear. So, what was he so afraid of?

Dexter shrugged as he reached his door and unlocked it. He's had enough to think about for tonight.

" _Oh well. One more serial killer down, and another way to keep Deb safe. That's a win for me, thanks to the cod-."_

"..."

"..."

No.

God no.

Dexter stopped in his tracks, his mouth open, his eyes wide and filled with a cold dread of fear and confusion. His heart stopped, froze, and then fell into the depths of his darkness.

" _No…"_

His apartment was a mess. Papers, paintings, books, everything was spread across the floor in chaos. But, his precious trophies of blood slides, Brian's precious prosthetic hand, and his precious collection of knives were all spread out on his table. A gun rested right in front of all the treasure.

Even with this, the only thing his eyes were glued to was his precious constant, the one person he's always tried to keep safe from his darkness.

Debra.

She sat by the table, her face stood still like a ghost, a phantom. Her eyes didn't even bother to meet his as he came in. No, they were stuck to the evidence that she desperately tore up his apartment to find. She accomplished her mission.

Dexter took slow, steady steps towards her, and he dropped his bag. Debra's eyes shot up towards him, and the moment they connected, he froze in his spot. An influx of emotions consumed him, and he wouldn't dare take his eyes off of her. Debra wouldn't let him.

"...Did you kill all of these people?"

Debra's voice was soft yet rigid, making it more of a statement than a question. Dexter's mouth laid open, but no words came out. He felt like the air had been knocked out of him. His eyes still never left hers, and he felt the truth already being spoken through his eyes before he could get any sound out.

"...I did…"

Debra blinked, but her eyes remained attached to his as well. There was so much truth flowing through Dexter's eyes now, and she couldn't stop herself from asking the next cataclysmic question. She had no choice, she was already crumbling.

"Are you…..are you a serial killer?"

Dexter just couldn't stop looking in her eyes, drowning in them, being choked by them. Those brown, hurt eyes wouldn't leave him alone, yet, he wouldn't abandon them. And if he couldn't do that, then he knew he had already answered her. He had never been more truthful in his life than in this moment.

"...Yes…."

Dexter spoke softly, more than he ever had before, trying his best to not break Debra with his words. He slowly closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't see the world come to an end before him, to see his dream become a reality. But, it was already too late.

He had destroyed her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Thank you for reading! :D I hope you guys enjoy Nathan's character. You'll see even more as the story goes on of course, this is just the beginning. Be sure to review! **_

_**See you next chapter!**_


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